Sydney and Vaughn- Where We Belong
by LadywriterA
Summary: Vaughn goes to Sydney's house after Alvin Sloane's execution. As Lauren Reed has been unveiled as a traitor, Vaughn feels no lingering loyalty towards his so-called wife and only wants to be with the woman he really loves. But will Sydney welcome him back with open arms? This one-shot story is inspired by a deleted scene in ALIAS Season 3, Episode 9- "HOURGLASS".


The sound of a car pulling up outside her house broke Sydney Bristow's thoughts and she set her glass down to see who it was. It was Vaughn, the first time he's ever showed up at her door step since her miraculous return after presumed dead for 2 years. Sydney felt her heart sinking even further. She was simply in no mood to deal with her ex right now. But the deep, genuine concern on his face prevented her from being discourteous.

'Hi.'

'Hi. Come in.' she made way for him to enter.

Michael Vaughn felt strange entering Sydney's house for the first time. It was different from the one she shared with Francie, the living room a bit austere, but he only had eyes for the woman standing in front of him. The woman he loved and hurt.

'I was just coming home from work and uh... just wanted to make sure you were okay.'

Sydney was surprised, yet touched by his concern; considering what he was presently going through. Finding out his wife was a mole for The Covenant. Since he found out, Sydney had suspected in some way he was angry with her and expected her to gloat over how right she was to have suspected Lauren.

'I'm fine,' she replied, hoping she sounded reassuring. Clearly she didn't because Vaughn stared at her in that probing way of his. 'I _will_ be fine,' she insisted.

'Syd...' he said, unable to believe she was troubled about Sloane's execution. That evil bastard deserved what eventually came to him. Left to Vaughn, he wouldn't have died via lethal injection but a firing squad; for all the pain he'd inflicted on Sydney, Dixon and hundreds of others.

'This was supposed to be it. The _end_.' She said softly. Sloane's death was going to be liberation. But here it is and...' she shook her head, 'there is no satisfaction, no relief.'

'It will not always be like this,' Vaughn said, moving closer to her, stroking her cheek. 'It will get better.'

Sydney nodded and gave him a small smile. Even when she was sad, she was the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. He badly wanted to kiss her and hold her in his arms.

Sydney shifted under his touch, seeing the love and desire in those bluish green eyes. 'You have to go home.' She said. If he stayed any longer... she could easily imagine what would come next. It tore her heart, sending the man she loved back to that woman, but they have to do the right thing, at least for now. And she wasn't even sure if she would resume their relationship after Lauren is arrested and Vaughn divorced her. Not after the callous way he behaved after their mission in North Korea. She would have understood if he wanted to be there for Lauren after her father's death, postponing their marriage dissolution. But giving her hope with the things he'd said to her before they were about to face a firing squad, and then dashing it all... it was downright cruel. He shouldn't have told her he was leaving Lauren if he wasn't really sure it was what he wanted. His betrayal made her feel and look like a fool.

 _Home_ , thought Vaughn bitterly. _What home?_ Everything about Lauren, her love for him, their marriage... nothing but damned lies. Now that he was in Jack Bristow's shoes, he understood the man's anger, bitterness and acute feelings of betrayal. But unlike him, there was no place in his heart for his so-called wife. Every part of it belonged to Sydney, his true love.

'I need to talk to you about something first.'

Sydney shook her head firmly. 'Whatever it is, I don't want to hear it.'

'Hear me out, please. It's been eating me alive.'

'Vaughn, don't do this to me again. No more declarations you don't really mean or empty promises. You wouldn't even be here if Lauren didn't turn out to be a traitor.'

'That's not true!' Vaughn cried, stung by her words.

Sydney wanted him out of her house. She simply didn't have the strength to deal with him right now. What more did he want to say to her now?

'Syd... I know what I did was unforgivable and you're probably still very angry with me. But please listen to me.'

Sydney opened her mouth to tell him to get the hell out of her house but she could see from the determined look on his face that he wasn't going anywhere until he'd had his say. 'Okay.' She said ungraciously, folding her arms.

'I know you long enough to know what you thought; when I made it clear I was staying with Lauren, after her father died. But you have to believe me, when I say I wasn't stringing you along, about leaving her. The truth is, I was torn in between and wondering if it was possible to love two women the same way. But then you remembered the anniversary of my father's death and what it did to me. Listening to you reminisce our past conversations about him, it almost killed me. It was then I knew it was just one woman; it has always been just _one_ woman. I haven't been happy with Lauren for a long time, Syd. I loved her but not as much as I love or in sync with that _one woman_. What I did to you afterwards was cruel and I hope, with all my heart, that you can forgive me and find a way to get past it. I don't want to lose you again, ever.'

Sydney was silent, the expression on her face impassive. For a moment, Vaughn thought she would ask him again to leave. Instead she sighed heavily and to his distress, a tear rolled down her cheek.

'When I came back, I needed somebody to blame for all the changes and the first person I turned on was you. You... who would _never_ do anything to deliberately hurt me. And when I listened to what you went through when you thought I was dead... I felt so ashamed at how selfish, cruel and unfair I was to you.'

'Syd!' Vaughn protested. 'You're only human; you had every right to be angry.'

'But NOT with you! Hearing it all, it devastated me, picturing you in so much pain. And in the end, your happiness with someone else was more important to me than the idea of your life ruined because of the memory of me. More so after...' she bit her lip.

' _What?_ What is it, Syd?' he asked anxiously.

Except for her father, no one knew about what Kendall revealed to her. And even though Vaughn's marriage was as good as over, she wasn't sure she should tell him. It would only upset him further.

'You should go.'

'No...'

'You have to keep up appearances until we finally arrest Lauren.'

'Do you honestly think I can stand the sight of that _bitch_ or be around her after _everything_ she's done to us?' he snarled. 'She's a member of The Covenant! _They took you away from me and faked your death!_ They planted her on me, she took advantage of my grief, used my work and who I am. And the whole time she knew you were alive! Out there, as Julia Thorne with no memory of me or your father or the people who mourned you. I'd sooner kill her than arrest her.'

'Don't talk that way!' Sydney admonished him sharply.

'Don't make me go back to that damned house, Syd. I'm begging you, please don't send me away.'

'But Vaughn...' her intended sentence was cut short by his warm mouth covering hers in a deep kiss. She raised her arms to push him away. But his arms tightened round her and she was suddenly aware of the familiar aftershave, the familiar hard body against hers, the familiar mouth fused with hers; and she was lost. Her arms snaked round his neck instead, eagerly kissing him back as though the missing two years never happened.

'I love you, Sydney Bristow,' he whispered against her cheek when they came up for air. 'I've never stopped loving you and I never will.'

'I love you too.' She whispered back tearfully, clinging to him.

'I want you.' His voice deepened into a sensual velvet rasp.

'No... No... We can't do that...' She protested weakly.

'We don't owe her anything.'

Sydney wanted to protest again but an even more demanding kiss stopped her. 'We shouldn't do this... we shouldn't,' she whispered against his lips as he peeled off her shirt and moved his hands under her tank top to knead her breasts. 'Vaughn...' she tried again, but his warm lips moved down her neck and she found herself pressing up against him and vice versa. Hard.

'This is wrong... _wrong_.'

'The Covenant kept us apart for two years,' Vaughn reminded her, breathing hard, dying to feel her bare skin against his. 'That trip to Santa Barbara... I was going to ask you to marry me, Syd.'

'Oh Vaughn,' more tears rolled down her cheeks as she heard the raw emotion in his voice.

'Screw them all, we're never going to be apart again.' Vaughn pressed kisses on her cheeks and neck before hotly claiming her mouth again, their lips fused in fiery passion.

Sydney thought about what she was forced to see- drugged and gagged- her own funeral, Vaughn scattering her "ashes" in the sea and weeping on Weiss' shoulder. She thought about seeing Vaughn with Lauren after her escape from captivity and her heartrending decision to erase her memory. _Lauren_ , who claimed to love Vaughn... _planted_ on him by The Covenant. _Just like how the KGB planted Irina Dereveko on her father._

 _We don't owe her anything._

'Screw them... and screw _her_.' Sydney said fiercely, peeling off his jacket and frantically tugging at his tie, which he helped her with; his shirt following. Lifting her up in his arms, he carried her to her bedroom and wasted no time undressing her, peeling off her tank top and pants.

'God... I've missed you so much, so much!' Vaughn whispered, hands hungrily moving over her slim body. 'You're even more beautiful.'

Sydney's rather shy smile made his heart race even faster. Rolling on his back when they sank into her bed, he let her straddle him; a vision in black bra and panties. She moved down to kiss him again and he savoured the taste of that sweet mouth as his fingers moved up to snap off the scrunchie holding back her hair, running his fingers through the silken strands.

Sydney's mouth moved down Vaughn's neck to his muscular chest, planting hot, quick, stabbing kisses on it before moving down to his stomach, unbuckling his belt. The number of nights she'd cried, dreamt and ached for him... all in the past. They were together again, his arms round her again and all she wanted was lose herself in his love for her. Before she could unzip him, she found herself on her back. For a terrifying second, she thought he'd changed his mind. The sheer heat in his eyes told her otherwise. Holding her gaze, he pulled down his pants and boxers then joined her on the bed, reclaiming her mouth, making his way to her back to unclasp her bra. Her panties followed within seconds.

Sydney held Vaughn's shoulders, a moan coming from her as he kissed her breasts, his fingers slipping between her thighs; sensually teasing her centre. She wanted him inside her _now_. 'Vaughn...' she gasped.

'Shh... let me love you, Syd.' He growled, moving up to capture her lower lip.

'I need...'

Vaughn moved his fingers a little faster, smiling with satisfaction at the purr coming from his beloved's mouth. Her confession about her drunken one night stand with Will had driven him mad with jealousy, even though Sydney didn't owe him any form of fidelity. Sydney Bristow was his and he was going to make damn sure no other man would ever have the slightest chance of touching her.

Sydney's head thrashed against the pillow, spasms of sheer pleasure cruising through her body; pent up longing at its peak. Just when she thought she couldn't stand it any longer, Vaughn grabbed her hips and finally entered her. With a strangled cry she moved with him, legs wrapped round his lean waist, her nails digging into his back as he thrust against her.

Pressing his face against her warm neck, Vaughn remembered the night he and Sydney first made love. At long last, after long months of pent up desire and frustration, they had shared a magical, earth shattering night. And he'd found himself more in love with Sydney every day, the most beautiful and amazing woman in the world. The night he arrived to take her to Santa Barbara and found her house in flames... and her body identified, he'd felt waves and waves of anger and grief, feeling so lost without her. He never wanted to be without her ever again. He kissed her fiercely, his movements growing wilder. Sydney held on to him, his name escaping her lips in a breathy whisper and suddenly they were riding the waves of passionate ecstasy as they reached their sexual high.

For a long time, the reunited couple lay against each other, now and then exchanging kisses but not speaking, spent from their passionate coupling after been apart for so long. Rubbing Sydney's back, Vaughn felt like a huge weight had been taken off his shoulders. He was back where he belonged, with the woman he loved. Physically and Emotionally.

Sydney pressed a kiss on his chest. She was more or less Vaughn's mistress now but found herself not caring. They were two people in love and for two years separated by a criminal organisation. And the man she loved had been under the manipulation of a devious woman the whole time. Lord knows what she might have done to him after he was no longer useful to her. Lauren Reed be damned. 'I love you.'

'Love you too, Syd.' Vaughn replied, kissing the top of her head, stroking her hair. 'You've made me so happy.'

'Because of what we just did?' Sydney smiled, teasing him.

'No. For being you. For forgiving me.'

'There's nothing to forgive.' She raised her head, her hand cupping his chin. 'We were both victims. And when we finally make our arrest and take down The Covenant, we'll spend the rest of our lives making up for the lost years.'

'Definitely. Vaughn smiled at her, his heart filled with love. 'We're back where we belong.'

'Yes, we are.'

Kissing her on the mouth, Vaughn placed her head back against his chest, his arms wrapped round her.

Rubbing his chest, Sydney thought again of what Kendall revealed to her. She will have to tell Vaughn about it eventually, she realised. She didn't know how he was going to react but she knew he loved her enough to understand why she decided to simply let him be happy with the new woman in his life, after seeing them together. If only she had known Lauren was a member of The Covenant back then! But that was then and this was now. Lauren will be arrested and Vaughn finally free of her legally.

The couple fell asleep after making love again. Sydney Bristow and Michael Vaughn were back where they belonged...with each other.


End file.
